The Mitzelfelt Memo is a periodic electronic newsletter from the office of Brad Mitzelfelt, First District Supervisor for the
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| In This Issue... | September 3, 2010 |
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Road Projects Advance in County Areas Funding Sought for National Trails Highway Replacement Bridges Mitzelfelt Advocates High Desert Corridor to Washington, D.C. Leaders Respected Leaders Volunteer for Mitzelfelt Team Supervisors Secure Volunteers to Assist Returning Veterans Phelan Memorial Library Celebrates First Anniversary
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Road Projects Advance in County Areas
On August 24, the San Bernardino Board of Supervisors took action to advance road projects in Oak Hills, Wrightwood, and Lucerne Valley. "I am especially pleased we are moving forward to improve the situation around the new Oak Hills High School," said San Bernardino County First District Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt. "While the County didn't build the new school or cause the additional traffic and isn't obligated to address it, the El Centro Road paving project is an example of the County being a good neighbor and putting taxpayer dollars to work where the need exists." The board approved plans to pave the dirt portion of El Centro Road from Coyote Trail to Escondido Avenue to improve traffic conditions near Oak Hills High School, which the school district did not address when it built the campus. Bidding on the project will open on September 30 and the county plans to award a construction contract on October 19. The county estimates the project will cost $415,000. It will be financed by part of the county's share of Proposition 1B funds. The county is awaiting environmental approval to begin a second phase of the project, which will add a box culvert at the intersection of El Centro Road and Escondido Avenue to direct storm flow runoff to the appropriate natural water course and add turning lanes on Escondido Avenue. The board also authorized county staff to acquire right-of-way and easements north and south of Oak Hill Road and west of Caliente Road in Oak Hills for a realignment of Oak Hill Road west of Interstate 15 between Aster Road and Caliente Road to eliminate a sharp curve and improve pedestrian and traffic flow. The total cost to acquire the right-of-way, the permanent road easement and the temporary construction easement, all from one parcel, is estimated at $12,000, plus escrow and title fees. The total project cost is estimated at $624,000. The board also approved a contract with American Asphalt South of Fontana to slurry seal various roads in the community of Wrightwood. Slurry seal rejuvenates and prolongs the life of damaged and worn-out asphalt surfaces. Finally, the board approved a $603,180 contract with Sully-Miller Contracting Company to rehabilitate a two-mile stretch of High Road north of Castle Rock Road in Lucerne Valley. The project will consist of full repaving. The project will be financed by part of the county's share of Proposition 1B funds. Funding Sought for National Trails Highway Replacement Bridges The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on August 10 took action that could result in $52 million in funding to replace up to 130 aging timber trestle bridges on National Trails Highway. "Obtaining this funding is a top priority," said Supervisor Mitzelfelt. "Many First District residents rely on this roadway, not to mention its historic significance." The board authorized the county Department of Public Works to submit a preliminary application to the California Transportation Commission for $52 million from the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development and Related Agencies Appropriations Act for 2010. The grant is from the U.S. Department of Transportation and totals $600 million nationally. The county would find out sometime after September 15, 2010 whether its application has been approved. The County of San Bernardino has the longest stretch of National Trails Highway/Old Route 66 in California. Route 66 is a nationally recognized historic roadway that has been promoted as a World Heritage Site. The 100-plus mile length includes 130 timber trestle bridges that are 60 years beyond design life between Daggett on the west, and Mountain Springs Road just west of Needles on the east. This section of roadway serves as a critical emergency bypass utilized by the California Highway Patrol during periodic closures of Interstate 40. The 130 timber trestle bridges were all built from 1929 to 1931. The project would replace all timber trestle bridges in this critical desert reach with timber kit bridges similar to the original historic bridge design when the road was a critical primary transportation corridor. Mitzelfelt Advocates High Desert Corridor to Washington, D.C. Leaders San Bernardino County Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt and Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich on July 26 met with several members of Congress and top-level transportation officials to educate them on the benefits of the proposed High Desert Corridor. "The High Desert Corridor will benefit all of Southern California by providing a new route for freight movement, which will create more than 42,000 jobs in the High Desert," Supervisor Mitzelfelt said. "However, if we rely solely on public funding, it will be decades before this critical project can be built. We need to use innovative financing in partnership with the private sector and we need federal legislation that will allow us to move forward." The High Desert Corridor, also known as the E-220, would be a new expressway linking Palmdale and Apple Valley. Supervisor Mitzelfelt is president of San Bernardino Associated Governments, the County's transportation commission, and also serves as chairman of the High Desert Corridor Joint Powers Authority, which is also made up of representatives from Los Angeles County, Palmdale, Lancaster, Adelanto, Apple Valley and Victorville. Supervisor Antonovich is vice chairman of the JPA. SANBAG ranks the High Desert Corridor as its number one public-private partnership project. The supervisors met with Chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure U.S. Rep. James Oberstar, U.S. Rep. Jerry Lewis, and the staffs of U.S. Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon and Sen. Barbara Boxer. They also met with Joel Szabat, deputy assistant secretary for transportation policy in the U.S. Department of Transportation and with the senior staff of other members of Congress and the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. "In conjunction with the Palmdale Airport and the ‘inland port', this vital corridor will improve traffic safety and mobility, spur expansion of manufacturing and industrial development, and create a vital, missing goods movement link in Southern California that will improve regional congestion and air quality throughout Los Angeles and San Bernardino counties," said Supervisor Antonovich. "Leaders were very receptive to using this innovative funding strategy to build a major infrastructure project in this time of tight budgets, and I urge our partners in Washington to support legislation that will enable the High Desert Corridor, with its many economic and environmental benefits, to become a reality," said Supervisor Mitzelfelt. Respected Leaders Volunteer for Mitzelfelt Team Supervisor Brad Mitzelfelt on August 10 announced that three highly experienced community liaisons will join his office at a minimal cost to taxpayers. Ken Anderson, Wally Linn and Bob Smith will assist Mitzelfelt in representing key areas of the First District. "Budget cuts forced me to reduce the size of my staff, and I have vacated four full-time, salaried positions, so it is important for me to find innovative ways to ensure my office maintains a presence in as many communities as possible," Mitzelfelt said. Mitzelfelt also has, and continues to employ student interns and senior citizen worker/trainees in his office, further reducing costs. The community liaison program, initiated by Mitzelfelt previously, has been working in Victorville and Hesperia, where Garner Morris and Gil Zank have been assisting the Supervisor for more than a year. "Garner and Gil have been providing excellent service to the people of their communities at great savings to the taxpayers. I am confident Ken, Wally and Bob will do the same," Mitzelfelt said. First District liaisons are either retired or otherwise employed volunteers who receive a small stipend of $250 per month and a car allowance of $200 with no benefits. Anderson will cover the unincorporated communities west of the Victor Valley, including primarily Phelan and Piñon Hills, but also Wrightwood, Oak Hills, El Mirage and Baldy Mesa. Linn will assist Mitzelfelt in Apple Valley. And Smith will cover the unincorporated areas around Barstow, including Helendale, Silver Lakes, Hinkley, Daggett, Yermo, Newberry Springs, Calico, and adjacent areas. Anderson, a resident of the Tri Community for 37 years, has served as president of the Phelan Chamber of Commerce and served as a member of the county Planning Commission from 2006 to 2008 and the Phelan Municipal Advisory Council. In 2008, Anderson was elected to serve the community as a director of the newly formed Phelan/Piñon Hills Community Services District. Linn, a resident of Apple Valley, is a Marine Corps veteran and owner of LinnCo Real Estate Brokerage & Consulting, a commercial real estate, loan brokerage and municipal consulting company. He is also vice president of Desert Community Bank, where he is responsible for managing a $65 million portfolio. He served the City of La Palma as mayor and councilmember, and was president of the California League of Cities – Orange County Division in 1996. He also served as a Regional Council Member for the Southern California Association of Governments. Smith, a resident of Yermo and Silver Lakes, is a retired county employee with 34 years of service, 27 of them as a Sheriff's deputy and detective. He previously served as a First District senior field representative and district director for seven years. He also served as a field representative for a High Desert member of the state Assembly, was an elected trustee for the Silver Valley School District, and is currently an alternate member of the county Local Agency Formation Commission and is president of the Yermo Community Services District. Also on August 10, the Board approved a contract proposed by Mitzelfelt promoting Constituent Services Manager Dawn Sikes to the position of district director. Supervisors Secure Volunteers to Assist Returning Veterans Four part-time volunteers will soon be available to assist the county Department of Veterans Affairs in helping local veterans find jobs, homes, health care, and support for their families thanks to action taken by the Board of Supervisors. "As a Marine Corps veteran and someone who places tremendous value in those who serve our country, it was an honor to support this program," said Supervisor Mitzelfelt. "The First District is home to five military installations representing all four branches of the military, so the need for these services in the High Desert is great." California welcomes home nearly 30,000 returning veterans annually. Although San Bernardino County accounts for only about 6 percent of the state's population, more than 23 percent of those 30,000 brave men and women – more than 7,000 – return to San Bernardino County. The four volunteers serving San Bernardino County will be part of the AmeriCorps program and will be made available to the county through the California Department of Veterans Affairs "Operation Welcome Home" initiative. The program is designed to meet the needs of returning veterans by assisting them in obtaining educational opportunities and job training, finding employment, securing housing, getting all forms of health care, qualifying for federal benefits, and ensuring support for their families. These volunteers will work with county staff and community partners to identify the needs of local veterans and conduct outreach activities focused on assisting veterans in identifying and receiving the benefits and services to which they are entitled and so richly deserve. Under an agreement approved August 10 by Mitzelfelt and his colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, AmeriCorps will provide the county Department of Veterans Affairs with four part-time volunteers, each working a maximum of 100 hours per year. The county Department of Veterans Affairs has notified area military bases, veterans' service providers, and the state Employment Development Department about the new volunteers. The department tentatively plans to assign the volunteers to Ft. Irwin, the Marine Base at Twentynine Palms, the Veterans Affairs hospital in Loma Linda, and the department's headquarters. The First District is home to the National Training Center at Ft. Irwin near Barstow and the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center at Twentynine Palms, where soldiers and Marines receive the most realistic training before deployment. The district also hosts the Marine Corps Logistics Base in Barstow, part of Edwards Air Force Base, and a large portion of the Naval Air Weapons Station, China Lake. Phelan Memorial Library Celebrates First Anniversary Refreshments, crafts, entertainment, and other activities highlighted a celebration of the first anniversary of the Phelan Memorial Library's new home on August 21. "Now that the branch has been open for a year, we can see how necessary it was to have a dedicated, full-service library for this community," said Supervisor Mitzelfelt, who made construction of the library a priority. "It's apparent that area residents truly appreciate their new library." Since its opening, the Phelan branch has exceeded expectations in terms of patron visits and books and other materials being checked out. Since opening in August of 2009, the library has increased book circulation by more than 208% and the patron count has increased more than 112%, based on 2008-2009 data at the previous shared-use facility at Serrano High School. "It's been very gratifying to see how much the community has shown its support for this library," said County Librarian Ed Kieczykowski. "The citizens of Phelan have demonstrated their commitment to the branch with a very high level of patronage and support. The Friends of the Phelan Memorial Library have been one of our system's most active groups, and they have raised significant funds to help the library add books and other materials to the collection." The celebration started with a salute to the Flag by the local Veterans color guard, followed by a welcome from Phelan Memorial Branch Manager Lisa Marie Garcia. Speakers included Mitzelfelt and Kieczykowski. The one-year celebration was made possible by a generous donation from the Friends of the Phelan Memorial Library. The branch is located at 9898 Clovis Road, across from the post office. |